Five panel folder machine



June 2, 1970 R. D. CRAVENS ETAL 3,514,922

FIVE PANEL FOLDER MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TORS De Pass CRFNENS ERNEST T RQBERT D Filed Sept. 28, 1966 ATTORNEY June 2, 1970 R. D. CRAVENS L 3,514,922

FIVE PANEL FOLDER MACHINE I Filed Sept. 28, 1966 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 HOT MELT INVENTORS ERNEST T DE Pass Roaem- D Canvass HTTORNEV R. D. CRAVENS AL 3,514,922 FIVE PANEL FOLDER MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 2,1970

Filed Sept. 28, 1966 INVENTORS T DEPRSS D. CRAVENS a Z u m ifi ERNEST ROBERT ATTORNEY June 2, 1970 R. D. CRAVENS ET L 3,514,922

FIVE PANEL FOLDER MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 28, 1966 INVENTORS 1 ERNEST T. DEPASS ROBERT D CEAVENS BY QTTOE NE? June 2, 1970 R. D. CRAVENS ETAL 3,

FIVE PANEL FOLDER MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 28, 1966 FLI a INVENTORS EQNEST T. DEPAss ROBERT D. CEQVENS BY QTTOENEV United States Patent 3,514,922 FIVE PANEL FOLDER MACHINE Robert D. Cravens, Stevensville, Mich., and Ernest T. Depass, Bound Brook, NJ.; said Depass assignor to Union Camp Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Virginia Filed Sept. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 588,661 (Filed under Rule 47(b) and 35 U.S.C. 118) Int. Cl. B65b 7/20 US. Cl. 53374 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carton handling and closing machine adapted for feeding in carton blanks set up to form a carton, loading the desired contents into the carton with the carton top flaps open, closing, folding and sealing the flaps and discharging the filled carton. The machine is adjustable to the desired length and to accommodate to different carton widths and heights by providing a series of substantially identical modules and detachable means for securing said modules to each other, whereby each said module may hold a specific accessory for the performance of one of the above defined functions in the related steps of the operation of the machine, these assembled modules constituting stations along which a conveyor moves the carton. Opposing supports are secured to each module, one of the supports being fixedly attached to the module while the other is shiftable and is attached to the module to permit a variation of spacing between the supports for the cartons of varying dimensions. The movement of the 7 supports adjusts to cartons of different width and different height.

The present invention relates to improvements in carton closing apparatus. More particularly, it pertains to a semi-automatic machine and method for loading, folding, and sealing a filled modified five panel folder.

The standard five panel folder is old and well known in the corrugated container industry. It was specifically designed as a shipping case for articles which are long and narrow, such as automobile jacks, mufiiers, floor and table lamps, fluorescent lighting fixtures and tubes, baseboard radiators, TV and FM antennas, floor polishers, vacuum cleaners, sporting goods, pipe, and the like. The standard five panel folder requires adhesive or other closing application on the end flaps as well as on the long top flap. It has been modified in its design by adding slits which permit an easier set-up because it is possible to interlock the end flaps and seal the case by applying a single line of adhesive, or other closing material, only on the The modified five panel folder has the following advantages over other containers having the same dimensional characteristics:

(a) The blank is more economical since it uses no more material than a full flap regular slotted container of the same size, and the manufacturers joint is eliminated. Furthermore, in many cases the presently used container is die-cut.

(b) The shipping case requires no end flap closure.

(c) corrugations can run around the container in either direction giving maximum stacking strength.

(d) More strength is provided at the ends due to doubling of the end panels Where high impact protection is typically required for products of the type that use this style box.

(e) The machinery handling gives maximum efiiciency to both the loading and closing operations. Since loading is from the long open top, it eliminates the need for end insertion of long items and permits a tighter pack.

3,514,922. Patented June 2, 1970 However, in spite of such advantages, the five panel folder has not been used to any great extent in recent years because it can be an awkward container to set up and to handle until it has been sealed. It can also require excessive manpower, particularly in the very long sizes. Consequently the following types of containers have been more commonly used for the specific types of products under discussion:

(a) A standard long regular slotted carton with a manufacturers joint on a long corner. Taping, stitching and gluing are all used in closing the case.

(b) A die-cut container with a manufacturers joint on a long corner. The end flaps consist of interlocked inner flaps, and tuck-in outer flaps.

(c) A corrugated sleeve with a manufacturers joint, with telescoping end caps, which must be set up separately.

In all of these cases the product must be inserted from the end.

The machine of the present invention starts with a corrugated fiat blank that can be produced on a standard printer-slotter and ends with a filled, closed and sealed shipping container where the only labor involved is the setting up of the container and insertion of the contents. To date there has been no commercially available machine which performs these steps and permits industry to obtain the benefits and advantages of the five panel folder, as pointed out above. It is therefore an object of the present invention to satisfy a need for a mechanized handling and case sealing machine of the type herein described.

A patent search failed to reveal any machinery for mechanizing this type of operation, using a five panel folder. The following patents were found: Staude 2,117,- 460; Binsack 2,462,460; Kay et a1. 2,768,492; Chandler 2,987,973; and Voller 3,032,947; but these merely disclose details of certain features without providing a solution to the problem at hand.

A further object is to provide a machine which is made up of a series of substantially identical modules or sections which can be bolted together to provide a machine of any required or desired length, each module or section being adapted to hold the specific devices related to the function of such module or section. Such modules or sections will thus provide for adjustability for height and width of the containers passing through the machine.

A further object is to provide a machine and method which are efficient and economical in. operation, are fully automatic for the folding and sealing operations, and reduce handling, closing and sealing costs for the container in question.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements and ar rangement of parts which are adapted to effect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of the machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank for the modified five panel folder;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the blank partially set up particularly showing the folding and overlapping of the end flaps;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank fully set up to receive the contents;

FIG. 5 shows in five views (a to e, inclusive) how the topflaps are folded and sealed after the contents have been placed in the folder;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the modules which make up the basic frame of the machine;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing how the modules of FIG. 8 are bolted together;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the loading section of the machine, designated by the numeral 10 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the folding, sealing and compression sections of the machine, designated by the numerals 11 on FIG. 1; and

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the adhesive applicator section showing the application of a line of adhesive to the top of the folded down flap.

Referring to FIG. 1 it will be seen that the entire machine is made up of a series of stations which have been labeled Infeed, Loading, Transition, Folding and Sealing, and Compression. Since different products to be packaged very in length it may be necessary to change the length of the machine to accommodate such products. In the present invention this is accomplished by making up the machine of a number of modules each of which is of the same size. The required number of modules can be assembled to form a complete machine of the required length.

FIG. 8 shows the construction of the modules 20 which comprise legs 21, side members 22, and cross members 23. The cross members are provided with slots 24 and holes 25 to receive bolts for afiixing various accessories or joining modules as desired. FIG. 9 illustrates how two modules can be joined together and secured by a bolt 26 and nut 27. The legs of the modules can also be provided with adjustable feet 28 to level the machine.

Each module has aifixed thereto opposing supports for holding bottom and side guides (FIG. 6). Such supports are made up of a bracket 29, a vertical sliding post 30 and an upper clamp 31. The one bracket is secured in fixed position to the module 20 whereas the other is bolted in the slot 24 of the module and is horizontally adjustable so that the spacing bet-ween the brackets can be varied. Since the posts 30 can slide in the brackets, the upper clamps 31 are vertically adjustable. Secured to the bases of the bracket 29 are right angular bars 32 which run the full length of the machine and provide a skid along which the containers move as the various operations are performed. Secured to the upper clamps 31 are side rails 33 which likewise run the full length of the machine and provide a path along which the container moves.

Also afiixed to the module 20 is a bracket 34 to which is attached a chain rail 35 for supporting a low friction guide 36 for a conveyor chain 37 which runs the full length of the machine (FIG. 7). Secured to the chain 37 are lugs 38 for moving the containers through the machine. The conveyor chain is driven by a variable speed drive 39 mounted at the back end of the machine (FIG. 1). At the front end of the machine is a take up sprocket 40. It will be understood that each station of the machine can be made up of one or more modules.

INFEED STATION This section accepts the container which has been set up from a blank as shown in FIG. 2. The operator folds the various flaps of the blank into the form shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and places it on the skid in the position labeled Infeed in FIG. 1. The container remains stationary in this station until the lug 38 moves it forward. During the time it is stationary it can be loaded or, if desired, it can be loaded as it moves through the Loading station.

LOADING STATION (FIG. 10)

To facilitate loading it may be desirable to provide flap hOlding guides 41 and 42, which are affixed to the upper clamps 31. Such guides receive the long top flaps of the container and keep them-out ofthe way of the product being placed 'inthe container. The guide 41 is larger than the guide '42 and is in 'a different relative position becauseof the difference in widthof the two long top flaps of the container. Such guides can be changed to accommodate the particular flaps of a container. At this stage container appears as'is shown in FIG. 5a.

TRANSITION STATION As the container leaves the loading station the front and rear flaps are-folded inwardly to the positions shown in FIG. 5b. The leading flap is pushed downward by the forward movement of the container against the curved plow bar 43 affixed to the side rail by a clamp 44 (FIGS. 11 and l). The trailing flap is folded forward by means of a rotary tucker 45 driven off the conveyor chain 37 through sprocket 46, chain 47, sprocket 48, chain 49 and sprocket 50. The tucker is timed to the trailing edge of the container so that it strikes the trailing flap at the proper time.

FOLDING AND SEALING STATION (FIG. 11)

After the trailing flap is pushed forward the top side flaps are folded downward, the narrow flap first followed by the wide flap. The narrow flap hits the leading edge of the plow 51 affixed to the side 33. The narrow flap assumes the position shown in FIG. 50. About the same time the first deflector 52 afiixed to the side rail 33 starts to turn the wide flap inwardly. As the container continues its forward movement the partially turned wide flap is further pressed downward as it hits the leading edge of the deflector 53 likewise afiixed to the side rail 33. At this stage the wide flap is in the position shown in FIG. l2. Adhesive is now applied along the full length of the narrow flap as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The paste applicator is conventional and comprises an adhesive chamber 54 and a nozzle 55. It has been found advantageous to use a hot melt adhesive because it avoids the necessity of a. long drying and setting time which would call for a longer machine. However, it will be understood that a cold adhesive may be used and additional compression length may be added, if necessary, to speed drying and setting of such adhesive. At this stage the narrow flap appears as shown in FIG. 5d. Immediately after the adhesive is applied to the narrow flap the wide flap is pressed down over the adhesive and flap and the two surfaces of the flaps are secured together. This pressing action is accomplished by means of the plow 56 which is attached to the side rail 33 through the support 57.

COMPRESSION STATION Thereafter the container moves to the compression station where the top flaps of the container are held under compression while the adhesive sets. This station has a compression plate 58 which is aflixed to upper clamps 31. At this stage the container appears as shown in FIG. 5e with the flaps secured in place.

The modified five panel folder adapted for use in the present machine is formed from a blank shown in FIG. 2. Such blank is scored along lines 101, 102, 103 and 104 and along lines 105, 106, 107 and 108 to form a bottom panel 109, side panels 110 and 111, a narrow top flap 112, a Wide top flap 113 and end panels 114, 115, 116, and 117. The blank is further out between the end panels and bottom panels to provide bottom end flaps 118 and 119 top end flaps 120 and 121 hinged to the end panels 116 and 117.

It willbe apparent that the machine of the present in vention fills a definite need by providing for the semi automatic folding and sealing of a container particularly adapted for long and-narrow products, and that it aifords savings in labor and costs over other available operations.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above process and in the construction set forth, which embody the invention, may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described our invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A carton handling and closing machine into Which is fed a blank which is set up to form a carton to be loaded and sealed, comprising: a series of substantially identical modules assembled to provide a machine of desired length, each said module supporting a specific accessory for the performance of a definite function in the related steps of the operation of the machine; each of said identical modules comprising a machine base portion and support means therefor to maintain said machine base portion above floor level; the support means of each identical module comprising leg means located at one end of the machine base portion and module securing means lo cated at the opposite end of the machine base portion to secure said opposite end to the one end of the machine base portion of the next adjacent module, the support means of one end module comprising leg means located at both ends of the machine base portion to form a unitary stable support; opposing accessory supports located on the machine base portion of each module to form a series of work stations to perform said functions; means for securing one of said accessory supports fixedly to the machine base portion; means for adjustably securing the opposite accessory support transversely of said machine base portion to vary the spacing between the accessory supports for accommodating cartons of different widths; accessory holding means carried by each of said accessory supports; side rails carried by said accessory supports extending substantially the full length of said assembled modules; conveyor chain guides secured to the machine base portions of the assembly modules; a conveyor chain supported by said guides and extending substantially the entire length of the machine for moving the carton along and between the accessory supports.

2. A carton handling and closing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said module securing means comprise screw means to secure the abutting ends of the machine base portion of adjacent modules together.

3. A carton handling and closing machine in accordance with claim 2, wherein the means for adjustably securing the opposite accessory support means to the machine base portion comprises a slot means in and transverse to the machine base portion and a securing means movable in the slot means for clamping the opposing accessory support to the machine base portion. a

4. A carton handling and closing machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein means are provided for vertically adjusting the accessory holding means relative to their accessory support, thereby accommodating cartons of varying heights and varying flap dimensions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,095,258 10/1937 Kimball et al 53374 2,643,497 6/1953 Woelfer 53186 2,941,340 6/1960 Potts et a1 53-383 X 1,136,353 4/1915 Martin 53-393 X 2,550,156 4/1951 Lyon 53-393 X 2,998,115 8/1961 Trautmann 19819 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner E. F. DESMOND, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 53-201 

